12 'greats'

[Lonan3]

The Conservative Party has drawn up a list of 12 'great' Britons who, they believe, should be studied as part of the history of the country.

David Willetts, Conservative education spokesman, who asked historians to draw up the list, defended the decision not to include great Tory figures such as Churchill or Thatcher. "This is not another list of the 10 greatest Britons. It is a list of the greatest institution builders – the people who created the institutions that make Britain what it is," he said.

 

And the list is:

 

Saint Columba, 521-597 (Christianity in Britain)

Left Ireland in 563 and settled with the Gaels of Dál Riata, where Colomba was granted the island of Iona to found his monastery.

 

Alfred the Great, 849-899 (the Kingdom of England)

Negotiated a treaty with the Danes in 886 after twice beating them in battle. England was divided, with the north and the east (between the Thames and Tees) declared to be Danish territory - Danelaw. Established a code of laws and a reformed coinage.

 

Henry II, 1133-1189 (Common law)

His establishment of permanent professional courts at Westminster and in the counties changed forever the relationship of the King to Church, State and society.

 

Simon de Montfort, 1208-1265 (Parliament)

6th Earl of Leicester and principal leader of baronial opposition to Henry III, he forced the establishment of the first English parliament in 1265. Was defeated and killed at Battle of Evesham later that year.

 

James IV of Scotland, 1443-1513 (the Kingdom of Scotland)

Agreed a treaty of "perpetual peace" with England in 1502 and married Henry VII's daughter Margaret Tudor. When war broke out between England and France, he declared war on England. Hoping to take advantage of Henry's absence, he led an army southward, only to be killed at the Battle of Flodden Field in Sept 1513.

 

Thomas Gresham, 1519 -1579 (the stock market)

An English merchant and financier who worked for Edward VI and Elizabeth I. In 1565 Gresham made a proposal to the court of aldermen of London to build at his own expense a bourse or exchange – what became the Royal Exchange.

 

Oliver Cromwell, 1599 -1658 (the British Army)

A brilliant soldier, Cromwell rose from the ranks to lead his New Model Army to victory against the forces of Charles I. He became Lord Protector from Dec 16, 1653 until his death. Regarded by some as a regicidal dictator, by others as a hero of liberty.

 

Isaac Newton, 1643-1727 (the Royal Society)

Physicist, mathematician, astronomer, alchemist, regarded by many as the greatest figure in the history of science. His Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (1687) showed how a universal force, gravity, applied to all objects in the universe. Elected president of the Royal Society in 1703.

 

Robert Clive, 1725-1774 (the British Empire)

Clive of India established the military supremacy of the East India Company in southern India and Bengal and is regarded at the key figure in the establishment of British India.

 

Sir Robert Peel, 1778-1850 (the police)

Conservative prime minister from 1834-5 and again from 1841-46. Founded the Metropolitan Police and repealed the Corn Laws, which enabled the growing working class to enjoy cheaper food.

 

Millicent Fawcett, 1847-1929 (universal suffrage)

suffragist and social reformer who founded Newnham College, Cambridge. She was a moderate campaigner, distancing herself from the militant and violent activities of the Pankhursts and the Women's Social and Political Union. Considered instrumental in women gaining the right to vote in 1918.

 

Nye Bevan, 1897-1960 (the National Health Service)

Appointed minister of health after the landslide Labour victory in the 1945 general election and introduced free diagnosis and treatment for all on 5 July, 1948.

 

So, no place for Elizabeth I who was responsible for setting the agenda for the Church of England and keeping it separate from the difficulties experienced due to the Reformation on the continent. No place, either, for David Lloyd George for his social reforms, nor for William Tyndale, who was burned at the stake for daring to produce a printed version of the Bible in English.

Anyone else see obvious omissions?

[Ean]

Charles Darwin?

[Declan]

Rather shocked at Nye Bevan's inclusion and the abscence of William of Orange.

 

Personally, I think that Churchill and Darwin would merit inclusion in the list, but maybe they are too well known.

[VinnieK]

I'm a bit confused by the inclusion of Newton - a great Briton certainly, but with little relevance to the broader history of England and the United Kingdom (unless you teach him as a figure in the birth of the English Enlightenment, but then they'd probably be better off teaching John Locke) - not to mention the omission of Edward the Third, under whose reign england really began to take shape.

 

To be honest, I think the Conservatives have largely missed the point of history by selecting a group of individuals who they think children should be taught about. History is the study of institutions and groups, and whilst a particular individual may merit discussion thanks to their prominance and actions, justice is rarely done to the past by concentrating on the individuals themselves.

[Albert Tatlock]

Personally I'd be more interested in them studying Ted Heath, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair - three people who seem to have thrown most of it away within a generation.